Bush Moves to Protect Those Who Deny Abortions

[margotb822]

Protests Over a Rule to Protect Health Providers

A last-minute Bush administration plan to grant sweeping new protections to health care providers who oppose abortion and other procedures on religious or moral grounds has provoked a torrent of objections, including a strenuous protest from the government agency that enforces job discrimination laws.

The proposed rule would prohibit recipients of federal money from discriminating against doctors, nurses and other health care workers who refuse to perform or to assist in the performance of abortions or sterilization procedures because of their “religious beliefs or moral convictions.”

It would also prevent hospitals, clinics, doctors’ offices and drugstores from requiring employees with religious or moral objections to “assist in the performance of any part of a health service program or research activity” financed by the Department of Health and Human Services.

But three officials from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, including its legal counsel, whom President Bush appointed, said the proposal would overturn 40 years of civil rights law prohibiting job discrimination based on religion.

The counsel, Reed L. Russell, and two Democratic members of the commission, Stuart J. Ishimaru and Christine M. Griffin, also said that the rule was unnecessary for the protection of employees and potentially confusing to employers.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/18/washington/18abort.html?_r=3&ref=us


The thing I really don't understand is how people with a "moral" objection to abortion end up working in a field where they could be providing one. Apparently, reality is not a consideration for these people...

[BOSSHOG]

1. I wouldn't want a religious zealot

performing an abortion on a loved one of mine or a vasectomy on me. I do believe bush has it backwards once again. (strange since he's had eight years of EXPERIENCE)

Organizations which get federal money can't discriminate against people who base their decisions on religion? What fucking country are we living in?

[margotb822]

3. I think the federal part is the key

The federal government doesn't deal in religion, so using that as an excuse isn't valid. It is essentially making a law respecting one religion's views over another's.

[brendan120678]

2. I'm sure that there are plenty of people in the medical field...

who may have a moral objection to abortion, just as there may even be members of the Armed Forces who have a moral objection to invading and conquering a sovereign country.

However, as the article already points out, this new rule is unnecessary:

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 already prohibits employment discrimination based on religion, Mr. Russell said, and the courts have defined “religion” broadly to include "moral or ethical beliefs as to what is right and wrong, which are sincerely held with the strength of traditional religious views."

[noonwitch]

4. It'll be in effect until January 20.

He's just doing it because Obama already announced he was going to issue a directive to change the first part of this, and allow federal funds to clinics that perform abortions, which the Bush administration forbid.

Whatever.